


Shattered

by Qentaro



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic (Video Game)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Drama, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Science Fiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-02
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-14 20:39:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 11,559
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29797572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Qentaro/pseuds/Qentaro
Summary: Theron Shan asks his longtime friend Zoosha Ma for help to save the Jedi Master, and also Theron's love, Orion Sera from the dark side of the Force, but the problem seems to be bigger and more dangerous than they thought. And so there begins a race against time. Not only for Orion's life, but also for the lives of many others throughout the universe.Character Collage:https://www.dropbox.com/s/jjg8eorge6y2uba/pixlr_20200917012928617.jpg?dl=0
Relationships: Theron Shan/Original Character(s)
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

A blast of icy wind swept into the small, remote outpost on Ilum as the entrance opened for a brief moment to let two visitors in.

"Of all the goddamn planets, why the hell did it have to be Ilum," the female, a Togruta named Zoosha Ma, cursed, angrily patting the snow off her weatherproofed clothing. Her male companion named Narva, couldn't help but smile as he did the same. That some people eyed him suspiciously because of the many scars on his face and the white color of his eyes did not bother him.

"You said to help this special friend, you would have traveled to the end of the known universe if you had to," he reminded his partner of her words.

"Yes, but why does the end of the known universe have to be here, of all places," Zoosha countered grumbling, and made her way to the cantina. Narva followed her with an amused shake of his head.

The young Togruta recognized the person she wanted to meet as soon as they entered. It had been several years since their contact had broken off due to the war, but now that she saw him standing at the bar, it was as if their last conversation had been yesterday.

Determined she started moving and only moments later was standing in front of her old friend.

"Theron?" she addressed the man in front of her, who was leaning on his elbows on the counter and staring into his empty glass. When he turned to her she was momentarily startled by how stressed and tired he seemed, but she caught herself quickly enough. After all, she was here to help Theron. It was the least she could do after all the times he had helped her without ever expecting anything in return. If she thought about it, this was the first time he had asked her for help.

"Glad you could make it," Theron Shan replied with a sigh that sounded quite like he was glad to finally be able to talk to someone. "We should find a place where we can talk undisturbed."

With these words he started moving towards one of the slightly higher rooms for more private gatherings.

Zoosha and Narva followed him.

"It seems to be something serious," Narva murmured softly, and his partner nodded in agreement.

"I have the feeling too." she replied just as quietly.

Shortly after they reached the seating area of the separee and took a seat. Zoosha waited patiently until her friend was ready to tell her why he had asked for her help. It did not take long, then he started to speak.

"Does a Jedi Master named Orion Sera mean anything to you?"

"I've heard his name before," Zoosha replied. "But he is considered lost. Many think he is dead."

A slightly pained expression flitted across Theron's face.

"He's not dead," he began, "and I know where he is. But it's best if I start from the beginning. Orion and I, how do I put this best, well we met in the turmoil of war and there was an instant spark between us. Powerful. That is perhaps why I realized too late what was happening to him, how he was changing. I can't say exactly when the dark side of the force started to corrupt him, in retrospect, the signs were clearly visible. Sometimes you just don't want to see the truth, even when it's right in front of you, but enough about that. Anyway, he disappeared without a trace from one day to the next and it was not easy to find him again. Many have given up the search, but I could not. Not after everything we meant to each other, what he still means to me."

"And why did you ask me to come here now?" Zoosha asked finally, after giving Theron a moment to regain his composure.

"I need your help," he explained to her, and the Togruta knew even before he spoke further that she would say yes, even if she could tell Narva wasn't exactly thrilled about dealing with a Jedi Master who had blown all his fuses.

"I want to help Orion become like he used to be, even though I don't know if that's possible, I'm not a Jedi. But you are Zoosha. And I could never forgive myself if I didn't try."

"What is his current condition?" Narva inquired, who knew his partner well enough and knew she would not refuse Theron her help, no matter how hopeless it was.

"The dark side still seems to cloud his mind a lot, I don't think he knows who he is anymore. I think he understands when I talk to him, but he doesn't answer. And he's unpredictable when he feels attacked."

"Did he hurt you?" Zoosha interjected with concern, but Theron shook his head.

"No, he's noticeably quiet when I'm with him. Maybe he remembers me in some way, probably just wishful thinking on my part. What I really wanted to say was, when I returned to the old mine where he is hiding after contacting you, I found some dead Imperial scouts. Not a pretty sight I can tell you."

"After all you've told us, wouldn't it be better if you put an end to his suffering?" Narva retorted, causing Theron to jump up from his seat.

"Don't think I haven't thought of that!" the former spy replied angrily. "More than once I've had the blaster in my hand. But I just can't. Not until I know there's no hope."

"Please don't argue," Zoosha tried to calm the situation. "Can we agree that I'll look at Orion like Theron asked me to and then we'll see?"

Both men nodded, and so they finally left the cantina to organize a flying vehicle for their journey across the icy expanses of Ilum.


	2. Chapter 2

The path was not particularly long, but the last few meters to the entrance required concentration and climbing skills from everyone, as someone had carved the small mine into the rock away from the usual areas, in rough terrain.

"Wait here for a moment," Theron asked Zoosha and Narva when they reached the entrance. "Orion doesn't know you guys, and I want to make sure nothing unpredictable happens. That's why I brought something to calm him down a little."

"Can you feel it too?" Narva wanted to know from his partner after Theron had disappeared into the mine. The Togruta nodded.

"It's as if the darkness is radiating from the mine, like from a reactor with a leak."

The two Jedi waited patiently and it wasn't long before their friend came to pick them up.

"Sorry for the trouble," Theron began to explain as he led the other two through the abandoned mine. "I just want to play it safe."

"Understandable," Zoosha reassured him. "I'd do the same if I were you."

While they were on their way to Orion, the Togruta tried to prepare herself for the sight that awaited her. She had seen enough force users who had fallen to the dark side and the resulting changes, but when she finally stood before Orion, she was shocked. She had never seen such a manifestation of the dark side.

Theron had joined him on the cot and was holding Orion in an upright sitting position so that he could lean against him.

You could tell the long-lost Jedi Master was under the influence of a sedative, his movements slow and erratic, his orange-red eyes clouded, his body repeatedly shaken by barely noticeable convulsions, and otherwise he seemed more dead than alive.

If Zoosha didn't feel the darkness coming at her in waves from Orion, she wouldn't believe the person in front of her was still dangerous.

Narva, immediately in healer mode, knelt in front of Orion and began examining him carefully.

"Is he even taking in enough food?" he wanted to know from Theron.

"Everything I give him completely," he replied in a concerned voice. "But it never seems to be enough." Zoosha put a hand on his shoulder reassuringly.

"Orion seems to be like a human reactor for the dark side, it eats up all his energy," she explained to her friend. "I've honestly never seen that before. But I'll try to find out if your partner still exists as you know and love him."

Theron nodded.

"My only request is that if there is no hope, just leave Orion and me here alone and I'll end it".

"Theron..." began the Togruta in dismay, but the former spy shook his head.

"I can't live without him. Not anymore."

Zoosha sighed sorrowfully, then nodded, though she knew in an instant that she would feel the same way about Narva.

The Togruta sat down cross-legged in front of Orion and then turned to her partner again.

"Narva, you keep an eye on both of us, will you?"

Narva squeezed her hand briefly.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of you." he replied with a smile.

Zoosha then closed her eyes, relaxed, and opened her mind to connect with Orion's.

The first thing Zoosha saw when she opened her eyes again was a blooming flower meadow and bright blue sky. The sun shone warm and kindly, and yet she felt that all this only served to hide the truth from her. 

"Master Sera, can you hear me?" the Togruta sent out her thoughts as she looked around cautiously.

"You're here to see Orion, aren't you?" she suddenly had a voice whirl her around.

In front of her stood a five year old humanoid girl, with orange-red eyes and white gray medium length hair tied back in a short ponytail. She was dressed in a black robe.

Before Zoosha could answer the girl's question, the scenery around her shattered. From one moment to the next, darkness enveloped her. Under her feet, she felt jagged rock more than she saw it. Only occasional flashes of energy provided any light at all.

Still, Zoosha could make out the Jedi Master she was looking for directly in front of her.

Orion was kneeling in a stasis field, and the dark force manifesting in waves around his body nearly took her breath away.

The girl, now a grown woman, was standing right next to the stasis field and touching it almost lovingly, eliciting a pained groan from Orion.

"That's not fair, dear brother," she scolded him with a smile. "I was just trying to figure out why that stupid Jedi was bothering us here." But instead of answering, Orion fixed his gaze on the female Jedi.

""Go," Zoosha heard his insistent voice in her head. "I can't protect you too."

"What's going on?" she replied, unwilling to leave without finding answers.

"An experiment from the Empire," the Sith replied in Orion's place. "Creating the Force as a living, breathing being. Your Jedi stuff messed up his programming, he wouldn't let me help him."

"I will not be your weapon," Orion pressed out between clenched teeth, then raised a hand in Zoosha's direction, breaking their connection.

The Jedi drew in a sharp breath, blinked a few times, and found herself lying on the floor of the mine. Narva was about to take her into his arms and breathed a sigh of relief when he realized she was back.

"What the hell happened?" he wanted to know anxiously. "I was just about to break your connection, it didn't do either of you any good."

Zoosha took one deep breath and then let her partner help her up. She really felt like someone had drained her energy.

Theron had put Orion on the cot and was now standing in front of her.

"What did you see?" he got straight to the point.

"He's still Orion," Zoosha replied, noticing the relief reflected on Theron's face. She was sorry that she had to choose the next words. "But in his current state, he is a great danger. We need to figure out how to get him off this planet, somewhere where whatever is happening to him can be contained until we find a way to help him."

"You want to lock him up?" Theron retorted upset. "I won't let you do that!"

"I'd prefer other options, too," Zoosha tried to reassure him. "But Orion, in his current state, is more dangerous than you think. I will calmly explain it to you and also to Narva when we have reached our spaceship and left this planet."


	3. Chapter 3

Theron glanced at Orion, who lay there with his eyes closed, looking as if he couldn't hurt anyone.

"If you could land your ship near the mine, I'd bring him in," he finally replied, then looked back at the two Jedi. "Only the tranquilizer stim won't work for long, and then what? I don't know how he'll react if he wakes up on an unknown starship."

"In case either of us should ever be badly injured and it's a long way to the next medic station, we've acquired a cryochamber," Narva suggested gently. "He would not put himself or us in danger, no matter where our journey will take us."

The former spy sighed.

"Okay, I guess there's no way around it," he agreed. "I just hope it doesn't trigger Orion. He's had some bad experience with carbonite. Long story, maybe he'll tell you when he's well again."

Zoosha nodded in understanding and, after a brief consultation, set off with Narva to retrieve their spaceship.

Theron, meanwhile, tended to his partner, wrapping him in a self-heating emergency blanket, and after Zoosha checked in with him, he lifted Orion in his arms and gently carried him out of the mine. No matter what would happen on their journey, he knew he would never leave Orion's side.

The walk to the Jedi's ship was short, and they left the planet quickly enough not to be delayed by the next blizzard.

Theron took Orion to the room of the ship that Narva had converted into a makeshift sickbay. The Jedi healer opened the cryochamber and after one last loving kiss on his forehead, Theron placed his partner inside with a heavy heart.

Narva gently closed the chamber and then initiated cryosleep.

"His readings are good," the Jedi reported after he completed the process. "They were slightly elevated for a short time at the beginning, probably because of the carbonite memories you mentioned, but he quickly settled back into the normal range."

Theron nodded in understanding.

"Good, then let's join Zoosha on the bridge. The sooner we find a solution, the sooner I can get Orion out of there."

After one last look at his sleeping partner, Theron and Narva left the sickbay and a few minutes later arrived at the starship's bridge, where Zoosha was busy programming the navigation system. When she saw the two men enter, she turned to them.

"I still owe you an explanation about what happened at the mine" she began and then turned to Theron.

"Do you know where Orion came from, about his family?"

"There's not much to know," the former spy replied. "He once told me he had no childhood memories before the Jedi Temple. No family or anything. Why do you ask?"

The Togruta pondered briefly then continued.

"That would make perfect sense. I also encountered an echo of a Sith claiming to be his sister during my little conversation with Orion. This echo made suggestions that Orion may have been created in an Imperial laboratory as a vessel for the Force, perhaps as a weapon, when he ended up, however, with the Jedi, thereby delaying his real purpose. Orion is trying everything to avoid being taken over by this programming or whatever it is, but we have to help him or he won't survive much longer. I honestly have no idea what will happen if the dark force takes over his body completely, but I don't think we want to see that happen." Zoosha pointed to the navigation system she had just programmed.

"I've entered the fastest route to Voss. The Voss have countless rituals related to the Force, maybe they can help us."

"It's definitely the best choice we have right now," Narva agreed with her. "For as much as it pains me to admit it, the Jedi would most likely condemn him to death rather than try to help him."

Theron had silently absorbed all the information and was quite happy to finally not have to be idle anymore.

"So while we are on our way, I will try to find out as much as I can about Orion and this ominous Sith sister" he announced. "It won't be easy, but there must be data on his acceptance into the Jedi Temple, and I'll just keep digging from there."

Zoosha smiled. She was relieved that her friend was regaining his courage. She was preparing her ship for the hyperspace jump when a handful of ships materialized around them from hyperspace.

Narva recognized "the pirates" immediately, and then they opened fire.


	4. Chapter 4

They didn't even get to make a hyperspace jump to safety, because one of the first shots put the whole system out of action.  
"Those bastards aren't destroying my ship!" Zoosha cursed, operating the defense system with nimble fingers. "Something's tampering with our airlock!"  
"I'll take it!" Theron returned, and took off running. Narva was also on the move.  
"You'll be okay here?" he wanted to know from his partner. "I'll secure the sickbay as a precaution."  
The Togruta nodded grimly.  
"They won't carry a bolt out of here, those bastards!" she hissed angrily. "Go on!"  
Narva nodded and ran off as well, while a hit shook the spaceship again. Halfway he stopped when he found Theron unconscious on the ground. Next he felt dizzy and before he could warn Zoosha he was already lying unconscious on the ground as well.

Zoosha woke up screaming and immediately sat straight up on her cot.  
"Sssh, everything is fine, nothing happened to you," Narva, who was stuck in the small cell with her, tried to calm her down, but the Togruta knew all too well where she was.  
"I thought I would never see Zakuul again, ever..." Zoosha broke off, trying to bring her emotions back under control. Neither the memories of this place, nor the feelings associated with it were particularly helpful now.  
"Well then, welcome back to the Arena Grand," the two Jedi heard a female voice from the opposite cell. As the person stepped closer to the energy grid and thus into the light, Zoosha and Narva recognized a humanoid woman whose right arm and left leg had been replaced with cyborg technology. Likewise, she wore several implants on her face. Green eyes watched the newcomers curiously.  
Narva could clearly infer her profession from her tomboyish appearance and the blasters on her hips.  
"Is smuggling so bad that you have to keep your head above water with arena fights now?" he asked with a slightly sarcastic undertone. The female smuggler shook her head in amusement.  
"That was not a good start," she finally began, brushing a strand of red blonde hair from her face. "Let's start again from the beginning. My name is Kayla Altair. Smuggler of all sorts of possible and impossible things, and one of the best marksmen Alderaan has ever produced, if I may be so blunt to say so."  
Zoosha, who had also stepped up to the energy grid by now, couldn't help but smile.  
"My name is Zoosha Ma," she introduced herself." Next to me is my partner Narva. We are Jedi."  
Kayla raised an eyebrow in surprise.  
"You don't see Jedi around here that often," she replied, puzzled.  
"We're not here by choice," Narva grumbled.  
"Who is, here in the arena," the smuggler returned with a shrug.  
"I hope I'll soon have earned enough credits to buy my way out, and then my last client will regret ripping me off."  
"There were two more friends with us when we got chaught. You didn't happen to overhear anything?" Zoosha asked the question that, shortly after she realized where they were, was burning under her nails.  
Kayla shook her head.  
"I'm sorry," she countered, "Maybe they're in another wing of this excellent shelter. Or they may have been resold elsewhere. Hard to say."  
"That could become a problem if we don't recover them in time, especially if someone has taken Orion out of the cryochamber." Narva remarked.  
Kayla thought about it for a moment, then turned back to the Jedi across from her.  
"I don't know about your cryo friend, none of my business, but if they are still here you might run into them in the arena tonight. Just before they dragged you two here to the cell, there was an announcement to all the fighters to get ready for a big event today."  
Zoosha and Narva looked at each other and both had an uneasy feeling about it.  
"If Orion has no choice but to defend himself in the arena, there could be a disaster" the Togruta said and her partner nodded in agreement.  
Kayla across from them got wide-eyed.  
"This Orion must be a particularly strong fighter. Or does he have any tricks up his sleeve that I should know about?"  
"Orion is the living, breathing incarnation of the dark side of the Force," Narva brought her new acquaintance up to date. Even though they had only known each other for a short time, she should still have a chance to ensure her safety. "We were just on our way to help him not getting taken over by the Force, then the pirates caught us. If Orion has to fight in the arena now and the dark force overwhelms him as a result, it could be disastrous for more than just him."  
"I see, a ticking time bomb, your friend" Kayla indicated. "Unpleasant thing. I could convince some other fighters to steer clear of him in the arena. I have my contacts, after all. But that's only a small percentage of those who will populate the arena tonight."  
"All we can do is try to prevent the worst from happening, save lives, and trust in the Force," Zoosha sighed.

The Jedi spent the time until the announced event with meditation and Kayla spread the warning about the mysterious fighter to all who were willing to listen. In the end, however, everyone was still responsible for their own survival.  
No sooner had they eaten their meager evening meal than the energy grids of the cells were deactivated and the gates to the arena were opened.  
Zoosha hesitated briefly as they made their way into the arena, while countless other fighters of various races streamed past them.  
Narva took her hand in his and squeezed it gently.  
"Don't let fear guide you" he tried to reassure his partner. "Trust in me and in the Force. We will make it, nothing will happen to you."  
The Togruta swallowed and then entered the arena together with Narva.

The spacious round was well filled, not only on the dusty floor but also above, the spectator stands, were packed. Nobody wanted to miss whatever was about to happen tonight and waited anxiously.  
"If they knew their lives were at stake, they probably wouldn't be here," Narva muttered after glancing around. Zoosha nodded.  
"Yes, as long as it's not about their own lives, it's good entertainment." she replied seriously and looked around as well. Relieved, she noticed Kayla coming toward them with Theron in tow. Her friend looked a little battered, but otherwise fine.  
"Hey Jedi," the smuggler greeted them both cheerfully. "Look who I found for you guys."  
"I'm fine," Theron assured the Togruta when he noticed her gaze. "They just tried 'nicely' to persuade me to open the cryochamber. I refused and they couldn't convince me otherwise with their "arguments'' either, which is why I ended up in a solitary cell." He stopped short and concern stole itself onto his features. "I don't know what they did to Orion," he said.  
"I think we'll find out any minute," Narva replied as one of the side gates to the arena opened.  
As Orion stepped out of the shadows, a murmur went through the crowd. His body was actually only visible as an outline in flickering black and purple power energy, and the eerie look of his deep red eyes sent a cold shiver down everyone's spine.  
The few who took Kayla's warning seriously backed away from him, as did those who still cared about their own lives. Only the stupid and reckless remained. And the onlookers.  
That were still far too many victims, Zoosha thought to herself, but there was no time for any plan, as Orion started moving at lightning speed, almost too fast to track with the naked eye, and anyone he got hold of fell in mere seconds without a chance to defend himself.  
"We need to get to safety," Narva warned urgently as panic began to spread around them. " If we want to have any chance, we should get out of this arena as soon as possible."  
"The side gate is still open," Kayla replied, "I know a way out of here, just follow me."  
Zoosha started moving with the two, but immediately stopped again, noticing that Theron did not follow suit. Narva and Kayla also stopped.  
"Theron, come on," she urged her friend. "You can't help Orion if you're dead."  
As the former spy turned to face her, the Togruta's heart nearly stopped as his eyes glowed the same black and purple as Orion himself.  
"If you try to stop me, I will destroy you all," he warned her in an emotionless voice, blood slowly beginning to leak from his eyes. Zoosha feverishly considered how she could save Theron.  
"Stop this, Orion, if you still care about him at all!" she tried to reach out to the former Jedi Master. "You're killing him." Orion had already come precariously close.  
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a female Miraluka appeared between them, her robe, like her long hair, an earthy shade of brown. Zoosha recognized the Jedi camouflage technique immediately, but confusingly, nothing else indicated that the newcomer was a Jedi.  
Nimbly, the Miraluka threw a handful of small, round droids in Orion's direction, which surrounded him in a flash and, despite some losses, made him disappear in an instant. As soon as he was gone, Theron collapsed unconscious.  
Despite the fact that Miraluka were born without eyes and therefore wore a blindfold, Zoosha was sure that this one was keeping a close "eye" on them as Navra, Kayla and she took care of Theron.  
"Who are you?" the Togruta wanted to know. "Where did you take Orion?"  
"You'd better take care of your injured man first, he needs the urgent help more," the Miraluka replied instead, and shortly after she sensed the droid orbs again, Zoosha found herself, along with Narva, Kayla, and Theron, on their own spaceship, in orbit around Zakuul. There was no sign of the stranger or Orion.


	5. Chapter 5

Zoosha barely had time to react as Narva pulled her over to Theron, who was lying on the ground, and placed her hands on either side against his temples.

"I need you to keep him stable until I find out what the damn pirates left of our sickbay." he asked her calmly but firmly.

Zoosha nodded and focused on using the force to help her friend stay alive while Narva hurriedly made his way to the sickbay.

Theron's eyes snapped open, but his gaze remained unfocused, seeming to try to move his arms and legs, but unable to muster the necessary strength to do so. The Togruta redoubled her efforts as she noticed his breathing and heartbeat began to quicken.

"Sssh Theron," she tried to reassure him. "We'll make you feel better soon, I promise. Just sleep a little longer, okay?"

With gentle persuasion from the force, she let him fall back asleep. This was not really her style, but in the current situation she had no other choice.

Narva came back with a bag full of portable medical equipment and some stims.

"The cryochamber is gone, the room is completely trashed" he reported as he attached the small and handy monitoring units to Theron's right temple and directly above his heart. "The next Medic station is on Odeesen, a fifty fifty chance if he can hold out until then, Orion's takeover has done quite a number on him. Going back down to Zakuul is probably not a good idea after the chaos in the arena."

He expertly administered a few more stims to Theron to stabilize him, and then he and Zoosha heard Kayla's voice over the intercom. Unnoticed by the two of them, she had made her way to the bridge of the starship.

"We're meeting Doc halfway to Odeesen," she announced in no uncertain terms. "He owns a hospital ship and treats anyone who can't or won't fly to the next best planet for whatever reason. Took the liberty of putting us on course."

Zoosha had to grin.

"Can't we keep her?" she asked Narva jokingly.

"I don't think she would agree to that" he smirked and continued to attend to his patient. Zoosha rose briefly and activated the nearby intercom.

"Thank you Kayla," the Togruta thanked the smuggler. "You are most likely saving Theron's life with this."

Several parsecs away, in a cloaked starship, en route to Nar Shadaar, the Miraluka named Bian had locked Orion into a power-resistant stasis field, in her storeroom. She had dealt with both sides of the force long enough to know what means could be used to keep them at bay. Which still didn't stop Orion from trying everything he could to break free. The Miraluka let him run wild and meanwhile confirmed the meeting place sent to her. Then she entered her storage room once again.

Orion stood there still as a statue, his red eyes tracking her every move. Bian was neither impressed nor frightened by the sight of him, she was rather horrified now that she had personally witnessed him in action. She simply could not understand how one could create a living, breathing, sentient being, only to have his self destroyed because they wanted to use this terrible perversion of power as a weapon. Whereas Orion, in his current state, would obey to no one. You could as well try to pet a raging rancor.

"Simply unforgivable," the Miraluka muttered more to herself, shaking her head. "Throwing away a life just like that, just to have an advantage over your enemy."

Alarmed, she noticed how Orion tried to connect with her mind, but she had not trained for nothing, since childhood, to be caught off guard so easily now, so she shielded herself accordingly.

" If you want to talk to me, it's on my terms," the Miraluka replied unimpressed, causing an angry flicker of the black and purple force manifestation around the former Jedi Master.

Bian decided it was time to recharge her batteries, and since her journey would take a little while longer, she retreated to her room to meditate.

She had just immersed herself in her relaxing meditation technique when she received a series of fragmentary images. They showed Orion scarred by countless injuries, kneeling in a vortex, peppered with sharp-edged splinters that caused more and more injuries. With a pained expression, he held his head.

Bian could only imagine the pain Orion felt in this situation, in fact she didn't even want to imagine it. What could be worse than fighting against being erased forever?

The Miraluka took a deep breath.

"Seems like it's not too late to help you, Jedi."


	6. Chapter 6

Meanwhile, Kayla had largely refurbished the engineering of Zoosha's spaceship. Fortunately, the pirates had not left any irreparable damage, so she finished without major problems. Along the way, she discovered something very interesting, which she had to show the two Jedi.

After she successfully completed the docking maneuver with the hospital ship, she downloaded her discovery onto a datapad and headed for the airlock. Halfway there, she met Zoosha, who was pursuing the same goal.

"How's Theron doing," she asked as they continued walking together.

"We're keeping him stable," the Jedi replied. "That's all we can do without adequate medical equipment."

Kayla nodded in understanding, then they had arrived at their destination. Zoosha pressed the release mechanism and the airlock opened silently.

Facing the two women was a middle-aged Cathar, a Twi'lek, and her Medic droid with a hovering stretcher.

"I hear there's an emergency," the Cathar got straight to the point. "Let's not waste any time then."

Together they made their way to the room where Narva and Zoosha had placed the still unconscious Theron.

With Narva's help, Doc transferred him to his stretcher, which allowed him to make a more precise diagnosis. Everyone waited tensely for the results while the Twi'lek named Daesha operated the stretcher's diagnostic pad and Narva explained to the Cathar his treatment so far.

When the diagnostics were finished, Doc studied them in detail, then turned back to the two Jedi and the smuggler.

"The good news is, I can treat your friend and he will make a full recovery" he began his explanation. " The bad one is, it will take some time and rest. I hope you are not in a hurry."

Zoosha breathed a sigh of relief.

"Anyway, we can't do more than wait at the moment and look for possible clues that will lead us back to the trail of our missing man."

Doc nodded and then asked Narva to assist him, so after the two of them left the starship along with Theron, Daesha and the Medic droid, Zoosha and Kayla were left alone.

"Speaking of traces," the smuggler turned to the Jedi after the airlock closed again and handed her the datapad. "I found this while checking the ship's computer. It wasn't particularly well hidden, so I assume we should be able to find it. And the datapad is encrypted, but even that probably won't present us with much of a challenge, because after all, someone wants us to read this."

Zoosha looked silently at the displayed data package.

"Then let's find out together what it's all about" she finally replied.

Bian had prepared everything for their meeting on Nar Shaddaa, after which she took some more of her technical developments and went back to Orion.

While thinking about the vision she received during her meditation, she decided to try to contact the former Jedi. The part of him, which fought for survival. It was not certain whether it would work, but if it worked, then perhaps Bian got the chance to help him.

All she had to do was push the dark side back enough so the real Orion could talk to her.

Once in the storage room, she first went to one of the computer terminals, Orion watched her intently. She reprogrammed the stasis field so that it began to shrink until it wrapped itself around Orion's body almost like a second skin, effectively preventing him from moving at all.

"I will let you die slowly and agonizingly, enjoying your whimpering for mercy every second!" the former Jedi hissed hatefully as he tried unsuccessfully to resist the immobilization.

Unimpressed the Miraluka stepped closer to him, held a modified medical monitoring clip each to the right and left against his temples, which lingered in place as she released them, and then took a few steps back.

"Not if I can help it, and I most certainly will. One way or another," she replied to the threat, then put her hands together in front of her body, letting the light side of the force flow through her, and then focused it on Orion, amplified by her Medi Clips.

It was not an easy fight to push back the dark side. This already very powerful part of Orion did not let it happen without resistance but finally Bian managed to get through to Orion's real self. She concentrated all her strength on enabling him to take control again.

His body trembled briefly and a soft cry escaped his lips. Orion blinked hard and when he looked at Bian, his eye color had returned to its proper light blue.

"Thank you," he thanked the Miraluka. The former Jedi sounded as if he needed to get used to speaking again. "Whoever you are, thank you."

"My name is Bian," Bian replied as she removed the Mediclips again, leaving the stasis field intact but now giving Orion a little more room to move. "And you better not thank me too soon, I can't tell how long you'll be able to hold the other side back this time."

Orion nodded with a serious expression.

"I know," he agreed with her. "I can feel it looking for ways to regain control, and my strength is weakened."

The Miraluka leaned against the computer terminal and turned her head in Orion's direction. In her mind's eye, she could clearly see his flickering aura.

"How did you come to lose control in the first place."

The former Jedi sighed.

"For one thing, I didn't know that I had been created in a lab, so to speak, and for another, I had been struggling with a very, shall we say, tempestuous temperament since childhood.That's why I didn't notice anything at first, especially since there was also a war going on, and when I tried to get back to myself and the Jedi way, I met my sister. She is actually only biologically my sister, because we have nothing, really nothing in common. Her name is Ryu, a Sith Lord, completely addicted to the dark side. Anyway, she knew how to awaken my latent programming and from then on my memories are only fragmentary. I don't know how I escaped, or if she just let me loose on the galaxy. Also little do I know how much time has passed by now. But maybe it's better that I can't remember."

"There are friends who want to help you," Bian echoed. "Do you remember them?"

"As I said, only in fragments, faces, but no names," Orion replied. He wrapped his arms around his body and began to pace up and down in the limited space available to him. The Miraluka could clearly feel his inner turmoil and pain.

"I remember Theron though, he didn't deserve what I did to him. He's been my anchor this whole time, the only reason I fought this long in the first place. But if I... if I... if he..."

Concerned Bian registered how the former Jedi's resistance began to waver.

"Listen to me," she began urgently. "What I know is that he survived your attack and his friends will take care of him. It's no use at all blaming yourself for something you couldn't control, it only makes the dark side stronger."

Orion nodded silently, stopping his pacing and calming down again to Bian's relief.

"You take me to her" he stated bluntly instead. This time it was the Miraluka who nodded.

"She's the key to everything."

The former Jedi sat cross-legged on the floor and closed his eyes to gather his strength.

"If anything goes wrong, don't let her win," he pleaded.

"I never intended to," Bian countered and set off to get Orion something to eat.


	7. Chapter 7

Meanwhile Theron had survived the treatment well and all the damage that Orion's takeover had caused was either healed or in the process of healing. Even the implants on his left temple, which had also been badly damaged, had been replaced by the Doc.

After Narva and the Cathar settled him back into a room in Zoosha's spaceship, the Togruta generously compensated the doctor, and after saying their goodbyes, they set off again, thanks to Kayla's discovery, they now had new coordinates.

Next stop Nar Shaddaa.

They had been following the new course for a while, when Zoosha, after talking with Narva, thought it was time to bring her friend back from the land of dreams.

Together with Kayla, who lingered leaning in the doorway, Zoosha entered Theron's room.

While she gently placed a hand on his arm, Narva administered a wake-up stim. It took a moment, then Theron slowly opened his eyes. His gaze traveled once across the room and then stayed with Zoosha, who squeezed his arm reassuringly.

"And here I was thinking I'd gotten rid of you," Theron joked with a tired smile.

"You wish," the Togruta replied with a relieved grin.

Theron took one deep breath and then tried to sit up. Narva helped him while Zoosha arranged some pillows so he could lean back comfortably.

"I could get used to this service," Orion's partner smirked, receiving a friendly hit against his shoulder from Zoosha in return.

"If it's nothing else," Narva countered with a laugh, performing a final check up. "As of today, it's back to being independent. Which doesn't mean you have to overdo it right away, of course."

Theron nodded in understanding and then became serious again.

"What happened to Orion?" he wanted to know. "The last thing I remember is feeling like my head was going to burst at any moment."

"Shortly after Orion took you over, a Miraluka showed up and kidnapped him," Zoosha began to report. " Which probably wouldn't have been possible without the technology she brought with her. Where she went with him, we know by now, because for whatever reason, she apparently didn't want to shake us off permanently."

For Kayla, that was the cue to start moving from the doorway.

"I found this data on the main computer," she continued, handing Theron the datapad, on which he called up the data, the two women had decrypted. "They must have come from her. The data includes her destination coordinates, Nar Shaddaa, and a document about Orion's entire life. We only looked at the coordinates, everything there in the document about Orion is really none of our business, so only you should look at it, Theron, if you want and if there's anything we should know, you can let us know."

Theron nodded as he began to read.

"I'll tell you everything important once I've read through it all and maybe researched a thing or two myself" he replied.

"Well then, I guess it's time to make preparations," Narva finally said and turned to leave. Kayla and Zoosha did the same. "You know where to find us if anything comes up."

In the meantime, Bian had arrived in orbit around Nar Shaddaa. Now it was time to prepare Orion for the "transport" to the surface. The former Jedi was holding up surprisingly well, but the Miraluka didn't want to take any risks, because even if Orion seemed somewhat stable on the outside, they both knew that the situation could change in a fraction of a second.

As Bian entered the hold, Orion gave her an exhausted smile.

"I can clearly sense her presence on the planet, but by now I could find her anywhere in the galaxy, no matter where she is."

With a slightly absent expression, he rubbed his temple and then glanced at the object Bian was holding.

"A shock collar? Are you sure that would stop me in an emergency?"

"The way I modified it, long enough for me to act. That's all it needs to do."

Orion nodded and put on the shock collar after Bian handed it to him through the stasis field. She then turned on the collar's monitoring function and turned off the stasis field.

"About time we meet your sister," the Miracula began, but let the former Jedi leave the storage room first so she could keep an eye on him.

"What a pleasure," Orion replied with a slightly sarcastic undertone.

Entering Nar Shaddaa was no big deal; Bian had obtained all the necessary paperwork early on. She and Orion left the colorful, glittering upper level behind and took a cab glider far down, into one of the darker, less friendly levels of the planetary city.

Orion stopped short as they stood in front of the entrance to the warehouse complex that was their meeting place.

"What is it?" the Miraluka wanted to know, turning her head as if to look around. She could sense no immediate threat. No one had come within her range who hadn't been there a few minutes ago.

"I remember," Orion finally replied after what felt like an eternity. "I've been here before. Searched for my past and found Ryu."

"If your memories return, maybe you'll remember more during the course of our meeting with your sister," Bian replied, entering the camp complex. Orion followed her. "It might give us an advantage in some situations."

"Perhaps," the former Jedi muttered.

The camp complex consisted of several storage areas, divided by a long central corridor and several side corridors. At the end of the main corridor was the office of the complex's administrator.

Ryu Sera was already waiting for them.


	8. Chapter 8

The Sith appeared to be alone, but Bian was under no illusion that she had not provided for her personal safety.

"Welcome back, brother dear," Ryu greeted Orion with a slightly snide smile. Her whole body language radiated haughtiness and arrogance. Bian she seemed to ignore for the moment.

"Very rude of you to just leave like that when we were just getting comfortable."

"If you call torture a cozy get-together," Orion replied icily, and Bian felt alarmed as the recurring memories released a lot of negative emotions in the former Jedi. On the one hand understandable, but in his current state a fatal development.

The Sith laughed in amusement.

"Are you really that resentful Orion?" she asked with a slightly smug undertone. "We are family after all." 

Then she turned to Bian casually.

"I've already handed your Chiss partner your payment, he asked me to tell you the following before he left:

"Ni su'cuyi, gar kyr'adyc, ni partayli, gar darasuum".

("I'm still alive, but you're dead, I'm thinking of you, so you live forever.")

"I guess that settles everything"

Bian nodded mechanically, her thoughts were racing through her head. The Sith had indeed repeated Xiu's message, but from the lack of emphasis, it was clear to the Mirakula that Ryu did not understand Mando'a and thus did not know the meaning of what had just been said.

That Xiu quoted the prayer for the dead, of all things, allowed Bian only one conclusion, and that was that the Sith wanted her dead and her partner was possibly already dead.

With the greatest effort, she tried to hide the surging pain and grief from the others. Her mission had not yet failed.

Orion looked at her with his head slightly tilted to the side and an indefinable look. If he had sensed anything, he kept it to himself.

Ryu was far too full of herself to care about the, not immediately visible, feelings of Bian.

"We are not a family," Orion resumed the thread of conversation. His voice was in no way inferior to the iciness of his sister's. "We happen to be clones created in the same lab with a little matching DNA. Other than that, we have purely nothing in common."

With that, he grabbed the shock collar, detached it just like that, to Bian's surprise, and dropped it to the floor.

The Miraluka was overcome with a feeling of decievement, she hadn't thought that Orion would actually do this to her, for whatever reason, but even more she was pained that she had given him the chance by letting her guard down where he was concerned.

Ryu seemed to be rather taken in by the whole development. She unsheathed one of the lightsabers she had brought with her from the belt of her black tunic and tossed it to Orion, who caught it deftly and activated it immediately. The Sith did the same with the remaining lightsaber. Two red-hot blades lit up the room.

"At last," Sith smirked. "I was beginning to think we'd never get to the point where you'd give up your resistance."

Startled by this statement, Bian focused the light side of the force on the former Jedi one last time, only to find that his two sides were no longer fighting each other as before, but quite the opposite, beginning to merge.

Bian took a step back in shock, noticing Orion looking at her.

"Storage unit 647, maybe it's not too late" she suddenly heard the echo of his voice in her head. Then he turned back to the Sith and only a few seconds later the blades of the lightsabers clashed in a fierce battle.

Just before Zoosha, Narva, Theron and Kayla landed on Nar Shaddaa, they met for a brief analysis of the situation and so Theron could also tell the others what he had found out about Orion.

"The lab in which Orion and also his sister, her name is Ryu by the way, saw the light of day so to speak, is here on Nar Shaddaa." began Theron. "It is located on one of the lower levels, hidden in one of the camp complexes. The coordinates are in the documents on the pad you gave me, so it won't be hard to find.

Furthermore, it says that while Ryu is a force user, like her brother, only Orion showed the genetic change that was actually desired."

"So they sort of found a way to change all of his DNA with the force?" Zoosha echoed. "That must have been painful."

Theron nodded.

"I'd rather not imagine that either," he countered, then continued. "The report says that about a year later Orion disappeared from the lab from one day to the next. Unfortunately, it doesn't say how, and I couldn't find any information in that direction either. Maybe someone from the lab rediscovered his conscience, who knows.

Anyway the report makes a big jump to listing Orion as a Padawan in the Jedi Temple, at the age of 3. Nothing about how he ended up with the Jedi, or anything like that, so I tried a few more contacts in that direction and got the following:

Between the disappearance from the lab and the admission to the temple are only a few months, not years.

Unfortunately, there are no records about the missing time, only rumors.

It seems that some Jedi at that time were also following rather questionable paths, but eventually decided to train Orion as a normal Jedi."

This time it was Kayla who wanted to get rid of a question.

"But don't they have known he posed a danger when they apparently studied him in depth?"

"Which brings me to my last point," Theron answered her. "They gave him some kind of fuse."

Narva sighed.

"Why that doesn't surprise me one bit. Worked like a charm" he noted sarcastically.

"Do you think it would have been better to kill Orion then?" countered Theron with a slightly irritated undertone.

"Then we wouldn't have to deal with this decision now" returned the Jedi.

"Hey guys, don't argue" Zoosha finally intervened. "It doesn't get us anywhere. Let's find Orion and this lab first, then we'll see."

Bian had taken advantage of the fight between Orion and Ryu to break away and go in search of storage unit 647. At a work terminal, she hacked into the complex's map and found it fairly quickly.

The storage unit she was looking for was not far from the hidden Imperial laboratory, which the Miraluka had planned to visit anyway.

She took the shortest route to the target she could find, because something inside her warned her to hurry.

Inside the storage unit, a gruesome sight awaited Bian.

In upright standing glass tanks, someone had stored various humanoid species, all of which seemed to have been dead for a longer or shorter period of time and were preserved here for whatever reason.

The Miraluka followed the only faint sign of life she could make out in this area and found her partner Xiu in tank number 647.

Bian didn't hesitate, using the force to grab the nearest larger metallic object and collide it with the glass. The glass shattered and she was just able to catch the chiss before he hit the ground in a pool of preservation fluid.

Immediately, she began mouth-to-mouth resuscitation when she realized he was no longer breathing on his own, until he finally coughed violently, opened his eyes, and began to spit out the inhaled fluid.

Bian held him so that he would not choke again.

"Or'dinii (idiot)," she whispered in relief. Xiu managed a weak smile.

"Gar serim (Yes, you're right)" he brought out before throwing up again.

"Don't make it worse" Bian smirked and, after her partner had recovered to some extent, she helped him stand up, still having to support him.

"Have you seen my armor?" asked Xiu after he had stabilized himself enough that he didn't feel like he was going to collapse right back.

"You can barely stand on your own two feet and you're worried about your armor?" Bian replied incredulously.

"We have to save the Captain" Xiu explained to her. "He came back to save my ass and the Sith got her hands on him too. We can't abandon him."

Not far from Bian and Xiu, the others had also encountered a cluster of glass tanks on their way to the lab and freed a male cyborg from one of them, who was now sitting on the ground panting and spitting, trying to regain his strength as quickly as possible. Kayla knelt beside him and watched him intently.

"Who are you?" Theron wanted to know from the rescued man, but since he was still busy coughing his lungs out, Kayla answered for him.

"Most people call him Captain, his real name is Jayden. I've had business with him a time or two."

Jayden leaned against the wall behind him and ventured a deep breath that thankfully didn't result in a coughing fit this time.

"Kayla sweetie, your kiss brought me back to life" he turned to Kayla beside him. "To thank you properly for that, I think we should do it again."

"I'm afraid the thanks go to Narva," the female smuggler smirked. "It was he who saved your life."

Jayden looked up at the Jedi with a broad grin.

"He's welcome to join us " he replied nonchalantly.

Zoosha couldn't help but laugh, partly because of Narva's perplexed expression and partly because Kayla gave Jayden a not-so-gentle slap on the back of the head.

"Apparently you weren't feeling bad enough yet," she grumbled.

"Jealous?" Jayden asked her with a twinkle in his eye.

"As if," Kayla grumbled and stood back up.

Jayden took another deep breath and then braced himself to get on his feet as well.


	9. Chapter 9

Then thank you again for saving me," the smuggler thanked them. "But now it's also time for me to say goodbye."

Zoosha stood in his way.

"I'd like to know what brought you here?" she replied. "It's a strange coincidence, our meeting."

"It's our fault he got dragged into this" they suddenly heard a male voice and as they all turned towards it, they noticed the Miraluka and a Chiss standing in the entrance of the storeroom.

"Well I'm curious about that story now," Theron replied.

"We're sorry for what happened to you," the Miraluka apologized sincerely. "It was all about the Sith all along. We never meant for outsiders to get hurt. But it's best if I start from the beginning.

My name is Bian and the Mandalorian next to me goes by the name Xiu.

A few years ago, Darth Sera came to my village. She wanted one of us to find a force user for her, because Miraluka can see with the force and can therefore identify other force users by their aura before they use it in front of others.

We refused and so she had my people killed one by one. Even after I agreed to help her, it did not stop her. I swore to myself that she would regret it. Someday."

The Chiss named Xiu put a hand on her shoulder reassuringly.

"I was recruited in the "conventional" way by the Sith to also find this force user, who later on turned out to be her brother." he continued the narrative from his point of view.

"Bian told me her story at some point and we decided whatever the Sith's plans were to sabotage them until maybe the opportunity would arise to make her pay.

So we began to gather all the information we could about her and her brother while delaying the actual search for him as much as was possible without arousing suspicion.

Then, however, the Imperials discovered him by accident on Ilum and we had to act quickly."

"And that's where I came in," Jayden now began to add his part to the story. "Bian was still too far from Ilum at that point, so Xiu asked me for a favor and I sent some of my people out. I'm honestly sorry it got a little out of hand. The whole thing with Zakuul wasn't planned that way. Anyway, I learned there that the Sith was planning to get rid of my friends as soon as she got hold of her brother and so I set out to warn them both, unfortunately I had just missed Bian.

That finally got Xiu and me into those horrible tanks. Bian probably would have met the same fate."

Bian just nodded.

"Xiu's warning, and the fact that the Sith was more interested in provoking Orion into a fight, gave me the opportunity to escape when they went at each other."

"Orion fighting his sister?" inquired Theron in alarm.

"The last time I saw those two, yes," the Miraluka confirmed. "That was in the warehouse manager's office. But I'm afraid he won't be who he used to be when we find him. Most recently, his transformation has been very rapid."

"Then even the failsafe the Jedi gave him, which was supposed to prevent just that, finally failed," Narva sighed.

"We have to find him, now!" Theron replied with growing concern. Zoosha stopped him before he could start moving.

"First of all, we should be careful," she warned him calmly. "No one knows what to expect."

"It's Orion, damn it!" retorted Theron angrily. "I know him better than any of you!"

"There's no one here who doesn't understand you, believe me," Kayla interjected. "Still, even you can't predict if he's still Orion after he became what he was created to be. A weapon, not a sentient being. Remember the arena."

Theron closed his eyes and took a deep breath in and out. It wasn't easy to get his emotions back under control.

When he looked at the others again, his decision was made.

"If we are too late, if Orion no longer exists, we should stop whatever he is then. By all means necessary."

"Why are you still fighting back, Orion?" Ryu smirked, switching off her lightsaber and looking down at her brother kneeling on the ground.

Not that she had defeated him, his programming had done that for her, the fight was just an accelerant.

"You know as well as I do that you can't stop it now."

Orion didn't answer her. He was far too busy concentrating his last remaining powers on not losing control.

The dark side of the force not only enveloped him from the outside, as in the arena, but also burned through his insides like glowing hot lava.

He did not have much time left to put his plan into action.

At least the course of the battle brought them to the former imperial laboratory, exactly as intended.

"How ironic," the former Jedi thought to himself as he pushed himself back to his feet. "We've come full circle. It started here, and this is where it will end."

There was only one person left standing in his way.

Blinded by her supposed victory, Ryu was caught completely off guard when Orion suddenly reached out in a flash and pressed the flat of his hand against her forehead.

"You always wanted to be like me, sis," he hissed, his voice sounding strangely hollow and no longer human. "Then look at what awaits you."

With those words, he let her see all that he saw.

Darkness, chaos, suffering, endless agony.

With the last of her strength, she managed to tear herself away from him and staggered a few steps away in horror.

"What is it?" Orion wanted to know unmoved. "Is that too much darkness even for a Sith?"

Ryu breathed heavily, trying to regain her composure.

"You...you're..."

"A monster?" Orion finished her sentence. "They thought that by merging a living being and the dark side, they would create their ultimate weapon. Instead, they created the end of everything.


	10. Chapter 10

Ryu's response to this was a slightly hysterical laugh.

"Then I'd rather be a safe distance away if you're going to wreck everything around here." she decided as she continued to back away from Orion.

She used the camouflage technique she had learned and disappeared into the shadows.

Orion let her go, he had more urgent things to do and his time was dwindling inexorably. With his last reserves of strength, he dragged himself to a sarcophagus-like metal box. Breathing heavily, Orion turned on the machine's power supply, which hummed to life, and then began programming the input unit. He had to force his body to maintain its humanoid appearance, otherwise there was no hope for him.

"Is there anything left of you at all, Orion?" the former Jedi suddenly heard a voice he would have preferred not to hear here and now.

Stubbornly, he concentrated on the further programming of the machine even if he would have liked nothing more than to turn to the person who meant so much to him.

"Perhaps enough to prevent more from losing their lives at my hands," he replied without turning around. He knew there was almost nothing left, in appearance or voice, that still reminded them of the Orion some of the newcomers knew. Especially Theron.

With relief, he heard the sounds of weapons being readied. If he failed, they might have one last chance to stop him.

An unexpectedly violent wave of dark energy burned through his body and Orion sank to the ground with a painful groan.

As he desperately fought for his last bit of control, he suddenly felt hands reaching out to help him back to his feet.

"No, don't do that Theron" he begged, too exhausted to keep his partner away from him in any way.

Everything was so uncomfortably loud, Theron's breathing, his heartbeat, the blood coursing through his veins.

Orion began to tremble all over his body, strained he tried not to react to the desire to restore the silence by killing his partner.

"Orion, no matter what you try, let us help. Let me help. Please.", Theron pleaded with him.

Before he could answer, however, he heard another voice beside him at the input unit.

"This is suicide what you are trying to do" Narva stated in shock after skimming Orion's input. "Without medical supervision and medication, it will most likely mean your death."

"Better I die trying than to extinguish your lives, and believe me I will '' Orion countered, pressing the opening mechanism of the sarcophagus, which opened with a soft hiss. "After that, all life on Nar Shadaa and then on from planet to planet."

"Orion..." began Theron, but the former Jedi cut him off.

"There is no more time to discuss, no more time for other solutions. Please, if you care about me at all, help me save you all."

In response, he felt Theron's lips on his.

He returned the kiss, perhaps for the last time, then Theron helped him into the sarcophagus.

"You can do this, I know how strong you are, you'll come back to me, I'm sure of it." was the last thing Orion heard from him before the metal box closed again with a soft hiss. The sarcophagus was so tight around his body that the former Jedi could no longer move, and that was intentional.

Outside at the input unit, Narva held his hand over the launch panel. Zoosha joined him, putting an arm around his shoulders, her head against one of them and her free hand on his, hesitating to start the program.

"This goes against everything I've learned" the Jedi healer muttered. "Trying to rewrite his DNA this way is nothing more than torture of the worst kind."

"I know" Zoosha replied, squeezing his hand gently. "But Orion decided it for himself, he's aware of what's coming. There's nothing you have to blame yourself for."

Narva nodded and together they activated the launch sequence.

A low hum began that was drowned out after a few moments by Orion's continued cries of pain.

It sent a chill down Jayden's and Xiu's spines, as it did everyone else's, as they watched the entrance to the lab.

"There's nothing in the entire galaxy that could ever erase that from my brain again," Jayden muttered in dismay. Xiu just nodded mutely. 

Inside the laboratory, Kayla took care of Theron, who was kneeling on the floor next to the sarcophagus, letting his tears run free.

"I just hope your agony is not in vain" he swallowed hard and leaned his head, next to his hands, against the metal box.

"I'm sure he'll get through it and you'll be together again in no time, as if nothing had happened" the smuggler tried to coax him along, although the persistent cries of pain were also gnawing at her nerves.

Theron gave her a tired smile.

Bian had moved to the other side of the sarcophagus, opposite Narva and Zoosha, and was stoically concentrating on using the Force to help Orion through this ordeal.

When the Jedi noticed this, they joined the Miraluka.

Many days later in a Republic hospital unit on the upper level of Nar Shaddaa.

Theron sat at Orion's bedside, holding one hand of his partner, still slumbering in deep unconsciousness.

In the last days, since the horror in the imperial laboratory, he allowed himself only little sleep. But all the more Kaf and probably way too much Whiskey, until Zoosha, mainly because of the latter, talked some sense into him.

The former spy sighed and lowered his head against their joined hands.

Orion's health was improving very slowly, which was not surprising considering the severity of the procedure he had undergone.

"How is he today?" a feminine voice roused Theron from his dull thoughts. He looked up and saw Kayla leaning in the doorway of the hospital room.

"He's getting better," Theron updated the smuggler. "Today, the last thing they did was turn off the artificial respiration and so far the doctor is pleased with Orion's progress. Considering what his body has been through. At the latest, when he regains consciousness, we'll know if there's been any permanent damage."

Kayla nodded and stepped closer to the bedside.

"I am here to give you the best regards and get-well wishes from the others," she explained her visit. "Unfortunately, life does not pause for us all to be here.

Zoosha and Narva have been summoned to the Jedi Council, apparently wanting to hear the story about Orion firsthand. However, the two plan to return as soon as their obligations allow.

Bian and Xiu left last night after rumors of Ryu's whereabouts surfaced, they will keep us informed."

With that, she handed Theron a two-bladed lightsaber and a holopad.

"This is for Orion. Xiu gave it to me" Kayla explained "He told me a warrior should never be without a weapon and clan. I think on the holopad he'll probably explain the latter to him in more detail."

A smile stole onto Theron's face.

"Has there ever been a force user among the Mandalorians?" he asked the smuggler, slightly amused.

"Not that I know of," she replied with a smile as well. "But you might want to ask Xiu about that when we see him again. He'll know better."

With that, Kayla fished a keycard out of her pants pocket and handed it to Theron as well, who had placed the lightsaber and holopad on the table tray next to the bed.

"This is from Jayden," she began, "You can take it to use his apartment here on Nar Shaddaa once Orion is ready to leave the hospital unit. We have our cargo together by now and will be leaving for Tatooine today. He said he never wanted to come back here anyway after everything that happened, but honestly, he just doesn't want to seem too emotional, if you ask me."

"Worked out great," Theron smirked, then turned serious again. "Have a safe trip, take care, and thanks for stopping by."

"See you around," Kayla said goodbye and left the infirmary for the spaceport.

Theron turned back to his partner, just in time to see him slowly open his eyes.

End Part one 


End file.
